Modifications

NARAS. Tropics of Africa. The fruit grows on a bush from four to five feet high, without leaves and with opposite thorns. It has a coriaceous rind, rough with prickles, is about 15-18 inches around and inside resembles a melon as to seed and pulp. When ripe it has a luscious sub-acid taste<ref>Alexander, J. E. ''Exped. Disc. Afr.'' 2:68. 1837.</ref>. The bushes grow on little knolls of sand. It is described, however, by Anderson<ref>Anderson ''Lake Ngami'' 16. 1856.</ref> as a creeper which produces a kind of prickly gourd about the size of a Swede turnip and of delicious flavor. It constitutes for several months of the year the chief food of the natives, and the seeds are dried and preserved for winter consumption. [[:en:Acanthosicyos (Sturtevant, 1919)#|Sturtevant, ''Notes on edible plants'', 1919]].